By: Grant Kelly, Contributor

[RiTchie Valens; 2024]

Rating: 7/10

In late 2023, it was announced by the two surviving members of Arizona hip hop group Injury Reserve, Nathaniel Ritchie and Parker Corey, that they would be retiring the Injury Reserve name in honor of fellow member Stepa J. Groggs, who passed away in 2021. Since then, there has been much speculation about what lies in store for the two artists, who seemingly still had a lot to say artistically. And while they’ve publicly been a bit coy about what exactly they have planned for the future, one thing seems certain: they don’t plan to stop making music anytime soon. 

The first taste of what they’ve been cooking up came in August of 2023 in the form of the song “Double Trio”, under the duo’s newly dubbed title, By Storm. Although the single inspired considerable hype among Injury Reserve fans, Nathaniel Ritchie has also begun teasing new solo material under the name “RiTchie”. 

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In an Instagram post, the singer said the solo endeavor began as a personal outlet to free himself from the expectations in place for his work with Injury Reserve and By Storm. Now, after all this time, we have the first glimpse into the sort of material he’s been working on, with a new single titled “RiTchie Valens”. The question still remains, however: is it any good?

I’d say yes! 

The song is a noticeable departure from his previous work with the aforementioned groups, and seems to center more on RiTchie individually. This fact is made glaringly obvious by the high-pitched, alien-like vocal samples that dart in and out of the mix wailing his name. 

Admittedly, I can see the instrumental being a bit of a hard sell for some. The repetitive and piercing nature of the samples used can come off as a little grating, but I think they do add a lot of personality and turn the song into a pretty bold entrance to a budding solo career. I also found myself drawn in by RiTchie’s vocal delivery, which teeters between a sort of manic rambling and a more introspective, stream-of-consciousness style of writing reminiscent of his previous verses with Injury Reserve. 

Between the mind-bending sound design and eccentric vocal performance, if there’s one thing I take away from this single, it’s that RiTchie still refuses to compromise his artistic vision for any reason. While it’s not without its flaws, “RiTchie Valens” is an inspired opening statement from an artist that still has a lot to say after many years. 

Listen here: